FCRA Amendment
Bill to be Referred to Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC)
Prelims:
Indian
Polity
Mains:
GS
Paper II – Indian Polity
Current
relevance:
Amid
growing opposition to the proposed Foreign
Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, the Centre is set to move a resolution in the Lok
Sabha to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for
detailed examination.
Highlights:
1.
The proposed amendments reportedly contain
provisions concerning:
i.
Transfer and
management of assets of charitable organisations.
ii.
Sale of assets to
the government under certain circumstances.
iii.
Disposal of assets
when FCRA registration expires, is not renewed, is refused, cancelled or
surrendered.
iv.
Government
intervention over the assets of organisations whose FCRA registration ceases.
v.
Critics argue that
such provisions could affect the autonomy of charitable organisations,
particularly institutions involved in education and social welfare.
2.
Significance of referring it to a JPC
A JPC will allow Members of
Parliament from both Houses to examine the Bill in greater detail, hear
different stakeholders and recommend changes before Parliament takes a final
decision.
The development is therefore
significant from the perspective of:
i.
Parliamentary
scrutiny
ii.
Legislative
accountability
iii.
Stakeholder
consultation
iv.
Federal concerns
v.
Autonomy of
charitable institutions
3.
About Parliamentary Joint Committee (JPC):
A Parliamentary Joint
Committee is an ad hoc committee of Parliament constituted to examine a
specific matter of public importance. It consists of Members of both the Lok
Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
i.
A JPC is created
through a motion passed by one House and agreed to by the other House.
ii.
Members are
nominated by the Presiding Officers of the two Houses.
iii.
The strength of the
committee varies according to the matter being examined.
iv.
Lok Sabha generally
has greater representation because of its larger membership.
v.
The Chairperson is
generally from the Lok Sabha.
Functions:
i.
Investigative role: It
can examine important matters such as financial irregularities, policy
controversies or other matters of public concern.
ii.
Detailed examination: It
can examine legislation or a specific issue in considerable detail and suggest
amendments or improvements.
iii.
Evidence gathering: It
can call for documents, summon witnesses and obtain expert opinions, subject to
parliamentary rules and privileges.
iv.
Reporting: It submits its findings and
recommendations to Parliament. Members may also submit dissent notes.
v.
Its recommendations
are generally advisory and are not legally binding on the government.
Source: THE HINDU- https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/centre-likely-to-send-fcra-amendment-bill-to-jpc-amid-opposition-demand-for-withdrawal/article71333056.ece